Education, From The Capitol To The Classroom

Stories about students: How does education policy affect the way students learn and grow? Can schools meet their needs as they balance ramped-up testing with personal changes and busy schedules? And are students who need help getting it?

Stories about educators: How are those responsible for implementing education policy in schools − from classroom teachers, to district administrators, to school board members − affected by changes at the top? And how well do they meet their challenge of reaching students with varying abilities and needs?

Stories about school assessment: With an increased push for 'accountability' in schools, what can test scores tell us about teacher effectiveness and student learning − and what can't they tell us? What does the data say about how schools at all levels are performing?

Stories about government influence: Who are the people and groups most instrumental in crafting education policy? What are their priorities and agendas? And how do they work together when they disagree?

Stories about money: How do local, state, and federal governments pay to support the education policies they craft? How do direct costs of going to school − from textbooks to tuition − hit a parent or student's bottom line? And how do changing budgets and funding formulas affect learning and teaching?

Despite South Bend schools’ new resolution, since it’s a legal requirement, the district, like all others in the state, will still be assigned a letter grade by the state.

But South Bend’s board, along with Superintendent Carole Schmidt, says the resolution sends a message.

“We can’t divorce ourselves from the legislation,” Schmidt said. “What we can do, is take a stand … We won’t be labeling our schools,” she said, adding the practice relies on a single measure — ISTEP scores — rather than multiple student-achievement measures over time.

Indianapolis Public Schools officials announced they had filed a request for all public documents related to the state’s 2011 move to take over four of its schools — a move related to the schools’ 2011 A-F grades.

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Comments

Guest

This history and results of this board speaks for itself.

Ron

Sad to hear this…. This is a slap in the face to the incredibly dedicated teachers at Dickinson Academy for the Fine Arts who worked tirelessly to improve academic opportunities for children in South Bend, raising their letter grade from an “F” to an “A” in just one year. It is frustrating to watch this mob of under-informed administrators diminish the outstanding work of those educators. Know this Dickinson, for those of us who understand the model and how it works, the “A” you EARNED through incredible hard work is valid and well deserved, do not let anyone take that away from you.